This site shows the years of construction, first flights, and the continued adventures of Chad and Bekah in our RV-7

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Canopy Fairing Continued

After the 7 layers cured from the first session, I took some #40 grit sandpaper on
the backside of a rubber sanding block and started shaping the sloped curve in the
front. About an hour of sanding and it
started looking pretty good. There was a
lower spot through the length of the curve, which will be filled with
additional coats of epoxy. I also made
sure at this point to scuff up the entire forward metal surface. Then after cleaning the entire forward canopy
fairing and skin, I mixed some additional dyed epoxy with micro-balloons to
coat the entire area with a thick layer.
This process will be replicated several times. Once this dries its back to sanding but it
should be easier with the micro-balloons in the epoxy. Covering the entire front section will hide
all the rivets and make it look very smooth when complete. I also buried the exposed screw heads that
hold the strut block on the inside.
Hope I don’t ever need to get to those in the future.